Engine starting mechanism



- March 28, 1944; NARDQNE ENGINE STARTING MECHANISM,

Filed Feb. 8, 1943 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Q mm mvm M m: N g x h H H WM- 49 v, 6M E A 7 2/ m9 N Wm \nm \W Quantum March 28,1944. NARDONE 2,345,417

ENGINE STARTING MECHANISM Filed Feb. 8, 1943 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 March 28, 1944. NARDQNE 2,345,417

ENGINE STARTING MECHANISM Filed Feb. 8, 1943 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 March 28, 1944. NARDQNE 2,345,417

ENGINE STARTIIiG MECHANISM Filed Feb, 8, 1943 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Romeo M Nard one.

March 28, 1944. R. R. NARDONE ENGINE STARTING MECHANISM Filed Feb. 8, 1943 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Z] 1 vac 14km Romeo 33W Patented Mar. 28, 1944 ENGINE STARTING MECHANISM Romeo M. Nardone, Westwood, N. J., assignor to Bendix Aviation Corporation, Bendix, N. 1., a

corporation of Delaware Application February 8, 1943, Serial No. 475,159

2 Claims.

This invention relates to starting mechanism for internal combustion engines and more particularly to engine starters of the inertia type.

An object of the present invention is to provide an inertia starter of the concentric type 1" embodying novel actuating means operable at a point in the rear of and at a distance from the starter. For example, when the starter is applied to an aeroplane engine, said means are adapted to be actuated from the cockpit of the aeroplane.

Another object is to provide novel means for operatively connecting the starter to the engine, whereby the energy stored in the flywheel of the starter is rendered effective to start the engine; said meshing means being so constituted. as to be more readily adjustable than is the meshing mechanism of prior devices of similar character.

These and other objects of the invention. will become apparent from inspection of the following specification when read with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein is illustrated the preferred embodiment of the invention. It is to beexpressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration only, and are not designed as a definition of the limits of the invention, reference being had to the appended claims for this purpose.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a device embodying the invention;

Figs. 2 and 3 are end views from opposite ends;

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view of the motor brush assembly;

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view of the motor terminal box; 7

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the adjustable control elements of the meshing means;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view showing another part of the meshing control; and

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view showing clutch assembly on the motor shaft.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the starter mechanism comprises a housing including a flanged inner portion 4 adapted to be attached to the engine casing (notshown) Similarly attached 8 to receive a manually rotatable shaft 9 disposed in parallelism with motor housing I.

Shaft 9 carries, on the end thereof that projects outwardly from housing 8, a sleeve ll adapted to be engaged by a hand-crank (not shown) of a type that is operable from the cock pit of the plane on which the starter is installed. Shaft 3 is shown as terminating in a gear it which meshes with a gear l4 that is keyed to the hub extension shaft I5 of a barrel 2:23 which is rotatably mounted in the flanged housing member 4. The closed end of barrel 24 is provided with pockets which receive sleeves 23, one of which is shown in section in Fig. 1. Each of these sleeves, which are spaced at intervals of around the barrel 24, is secured to a retaining ring 3|. Screws 32 pass through the sleeves and. are threaded into the barrel 24. Ball bearings 33 are mounted on these sleeves and rotatably support three planetary gears 3d, one of which is shown in section, and one in elevation.

Integral with the flanged housing member 6; is a double annular gear 36 which surrounds and meshes with the twin sets of planetary gears Each of the latters gears is in mesh with a sun gear 33, both of which are rotatably mounted on the hollow shaft l5, and one of said sun gears is formed integral with the hub of a spur gear 39 which is likewise rotatably mounted about the shaft 23, concentric therewith.

In engagement with spur gear 39 is a pinion 4! that is formed integral with the inner end of a shaft 42. The housing member 5 is provided with a hub 43 concentric with the longitudinal axis of shaft 42, and positioned in said hub are ball bearings 44 which rotatably support the hub of a flywheel 45, said hub being keyed to the shaft 42.

The energy of the rotating flywheel i5 is imparted to the usual starter jaw (engine-engaging member) 4!) adapted to mesh with, but normally out of engagement with, a similar jaw (not shown) formed on the end portion of the crankshaft of the engine to be started, or an extension thereof. A yieldable clutch is interposed between the starter jaw 49 and barrel 24, which latter, during the starting operation, is driven by the flywheel through the train of gearing described above. In the form shown the clutch mechanism comprises a plurality of plates I39 in interleaving and frictional engagement one with the other. One half of said plates are splined to the inner surface of the surrounding barrel 24, closely adjacent the closed end, of the latter. Alternating withthe discs that are splined to the barrel, are

the remaining half of the discs which have splined engagement at their inner peripheries with the outer surface of a nut I38. A plurality of coiled springs I43 have operative engagement at their outer ends with a clutch adjusting nut I54 threaded onto the outer end of barrel 24. Preferably springs I43 are maintained in spaced relation by means of suitable posts I55 which project inwardly from a disc i53, contacting with the inner face of said nut I54. Threaded within nut I38, and adapted for rotary movement therevlever I91 is freely rotatable about the rock shaft with and longitudinal movement relative thereto, 1

is a shaft I59 provided with splines at itsouter' tubular porattaches a flexible shielding conduit (not shown) through which extend the electrical connections for attachment to the terminal posts I13 and I14 (see Fig. 5), both of which are mounted in a suitable block 815 of insulating material. The larger terminal post I13 is in turn electrically connected (by way of the series field and clamp I10, Fig. 4) to the commutator brushes of the motor, the said brushes being indicated at I15, I11, I18 and I19 in Fig. 4. The smaller terminal post I14 receives a conductor I81 leading (by way of supporting block I8Ia, Fig. 4) to the terminal post I82 (see Fig. '1) which supplies current to the winding I83 constituting part of the solenoid assembly which operates the meshing mechanism by which the engine engaging element 40 is controlled in its engaging and disengaging movements. As shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 6 and '1, this meshing mechanism includes a rod I9I having a reduced portion I92 extending through the screw shaft I59 and the engine engaging element 49 and held to the latter by a nut I93 threaded to the end of the rod; the shoulder formed by the junction of the portions I9I and I92 being in abutment with the screw shaft I59. The meshing mechanism further includes a coiled compression spring I96 interposed between the screw shaft I55 and the element 49 and surrounding the rod I92, also a yoke or bifurcated lever I91 (see Fig. 6) pivotally connected to the end of rod I9I, as indicated at I98, and adapted to swing about a rock shaft I99 (Figs. 2 and 6) in response to energization of the winding I83 of the solenoid assembly; such energization being effective to swing the lever I91 by reason of the intervening connections which include the movable pole piece 29I of the solenoid assembly, the plunger 292, the lever 293, one end of which is pivotally connected to the end of plunger 292, as shown best in Fig. 2, and the rock shaft I99 which is keyed to the central hub of the lever 293 and therefore rotates in an amount corresponding to the swinging of the said lever. This rotation of the rock shaft I99 is communicated to the lever I91 by Way of a connecting lever 295 whose end has engagement with the lever I91, as indicated in Fig. 6, and therefore causes the said lever 191 to swing in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 6 in response to clockwise rotation of the shaft I99 to which the lever 295 is keyed. Such movement of lever I91 causes the rod I9I to move to the left and thereby move the engine engaging element 49 into engine engaging position; the movement being yieldably opposed and adjustably controlled by means operating upon the opposite extension I99 and conversely that the rock shaft I99 is rotatable in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 6 Without producing any corresponding movement of the lever I91 (since the intermediate lever 295 communicates motion to the lever I91 only in a clockwise direction), it is possible for the lever 203 and the rock shaft I99 to be actuated in the counter-clockwise direction without producing any shifting of the lever I91 or the rod I9I and hence without producing any disengaging thrust upon the engine engaging element 49. Therefore, the element 49 may remain in the engaged position under the continuing influence of the cranking effort being applied thereto by way of the inter-engaged screw elements I38 and I55 so long as the energy previously stored in the flywheel 46 remains uneXhaustedthe only opposing force during this cranking action being the externally adjustable spring 214. Therefore, premature disengagement of the engine engaging element 40as for example by a premature shifting of the lever 293 in a direction causing the intermediate lever 295 to move away from the lever I91-is efiectively prevented.

A unidirectional clutch is shown in Figs. 1 and 8 as being interposed between the splined end portion 25I of the motor armature shaft 252 on the one hand, and the inner surface 255 of the flywheel 46 on the other. As shown this clutch includes an inner race 259, an outer race 251, and a plurality of rollers 258 operating as a oneway motor to the flywheel substantially as in my Patent No. 2,088,462, granted January 19, 1937. The use of this clutch facilitates manual operation of the starter through the means connecting to the manually operable shaft II as energization in this manner can 'be brought about independently of any rotation of the armature assembly 252 and thus the frictional resistance of the brushes I16 to I19, inclusive, is avoided.

When the starting system includes an auxiliary ignition coil (as in Lansing Patent No. 2,195,151, granted March 26, 1949) the latter (not shown here) may be energized by connecting it in series with solenoid winding I83. This may be done by attaching a wire to terminal post I (Fig. 7) and leading it out through the opening that is shown in Fig. '1 as closed by removable plug I99. The plug is provided to close this opening in those installations which do not include such an auxiliary ignition coil; and in such installations the post I85 is connected directly to ground, as by attachment of a grounding strip, extending from the post I85 to the end section I81 of the motor housing 1.

An important feature of the meshing mechanism is the manner in which energizing current is supplied to the solenoid winding I83, namely, by running the wire I8I longitudinally through the motor, internally of the housing, to connect terminal I14 with solenoid terminal I82. 'The wire is conveniently passed through the space between adjacent field windings, and then through a hole (not shown) in the end section I81 of the motor housing I. This method of delivering current to the solenoid eliminates the need of separate external connections and thereby simplifies the electrostatic shielding problem, as the single conduit terminal I12 serves for both motor and solenoid energization.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with an engine-engaging member, means for moving said engine-engaging.

housing and adjustable externally of said housing for controlling the degree of opposition exerted by said resilient means.

2. In combination with an engine-engaging member, means for moving said engine-engaging member to engine-engaging position, said means including a shiftable rod and a'linkage for shifting said rod, a housing enclosing said rod and engine-engaging member, resilient means yieldably opposing movement of said linkage in one direction, and means mounted on said housing and adjustable externally of said housing for controlling the degree of opposition exerted by said resilient means.

ROMEO M. NARDONE. 

